Chapter 35: One Step Towards the Truth

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Translator: Soafp

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[Aoi PoV]

After leaving the basketball club’s room, I walked alongside Takamatsu-senpai down the corridor.

The feelings that had been stirred up by the earlier incident slowly began to calm as I was exposed to the cold air outside. Eventually, I sat down on a bench near the restroom at the end of the hallway.

“Aoi-chan, are you okay?”

Takamatsu-senpai, who sat next to me, gently looked into my face.

His voice was filled with caring concern, and I felt a sense of guilt.

“Yes, I’m sorry for causing such a commotion…”

I bowed my head slightly.

“It's fine, don't worry about it. As long as Aoi-chan is safe, that's enough for me.”

Takamatsu-senpai smiled as refreshingly as always.

That sense of security in his attitude was probably why he was so adored by the underclassmen and the girls.

While I was thinking about this, senpai raised his eyebrows in confusion.

“Hm? Is there something on my face?”

“Ah, n-no!”

I widened my eyes in surprise and quickly looked away.

Seeing my reaction, senpai smiled.

“Anyway… that guy, doing whatever he wants. Not only to Konatsu, but now he's trying to corner Aoi-chan too? What an idiot.”

Senpai muttered under his breath, unable to hide his frustration as he slammed his fist into his other hand. The sharp sound echoed down the hallway, and I was startled.

“That guy… you mean Hajime?”

Senpai immediately nodded.

“Yeah, of course. There's no one else who would do such a horrible thing!”

Hearing his words, I unconsciously bit my lip.

“…Hajime hasn't done anything wrong. It's just that I got too worked up…”

“That's not true!”

Senpai gently but firmly denied it, as he lightly grasped my shoulder.

“Aoi-chan… no, Aoi hasn't done anything wrong. If anyone says anything bad about you, I'll make sure to handle it!”

“That's such an exaggeration…”

I gave a wry smile, but senpai's eyes were serious.

“No, if it's Hajime, you never know what he'll do. If anything happens, just like with Konatsu, I'll step in and protect you.”

Even after hearing those words, I still felt uneasy.

Noticing this, senpai furrowed his brows.

“What's wrong, Aoi?”

I looked down for a moment, gathering my resolve, before finally looking up.

“Really… did Hajime really force himself on Konatsu?”

I asked with a firm determination. For a moment, senpai's expression froze.

“W-What are you saying? Konatsu herself said so, right? And I saw it too… Besides, you know about the rumors surrounding that guy, don't you?”

The rumors about Hajime. I knew them too.

Since entering high school, Hajime had distanced himself from the class and preferred to be alone.

Whenever someone tried to approach him, he subtly kept his distance. His behavior made him an enigmatic figure, and before long, unpleasant rumors began to spread.

But I thought.

Is Hajime really the kind of person who would do something like that?

Maybe I had been turning a blind eye to it all along.

My dissatisfaction and frustration with Hajime. There were countless reasons to justify those feelings. But was that truly the right thing to do?

—On the night of the summer festival. Hajime, wearing a rabbit mask, helped me when I got lost.

—That night, when I was separated from my parents and feeling lonely, he firmly held my small hand.

—The clear gaze he gave me when he strongly denied my words in the clubroom.

Maybe that was the real Hajime.

Since I saw that mask on TV, the memory of that day and the image of Hajime have come to mind clearly. Now, I can distinctly feel it.

I was simply trying to justify my irrational emotions by venting my frustration on Hajime, trying to release my anger by making him suffer.

Why… why had I forgotten the kind gaze Hajime had shown me when we were children?

Realizing that I had become blind to it all, a strong sense of regret tightened in my chest.

I clenched my teeth tightly.

Senpai’s gaze wandered. That attitude only made my resolve firmer.

I stood up and stared straight at Senpai.

“Takamatsu-senpai, I still can’t believe the story about Hajime doing something like that!”

With a determined look in my eyes, I said it clearly.

“W-What are you talking about?! Konatsu and I both saw it with our own eyes—”

“Even so, there must have been a reason for it. And… although it’s late, really late… I feel like nothing will start unless I ask Hajime directly.”

“Aoi, you hated Hajime for what he did to Konatsu!”

“Yes… but that was just pretending to hate Hajime. I was just taking out my anger, which had nowhere else to go.”

I didn’t want to make the same mistake again.

I didn’t want to be tossed around by irrational emotions anymore.

Realizing that, I took a deep breath and looked Senpai directly in the eyes.

“I’m sorry, Takamatsu-senpai. But I still can’t be with you right now.”

After finishing my words, I bowed deeply and left the spot.

“Aoi!”

Senpai’s voice echoed behind me, but I didn’t look back.

The regret and determination remained in my chest. For now, I decided to move forward, carrying both.